Oldies and Oddities: Tinseltown’s Training Base
- By Preston Lerner
- Air & Space magazine, January 2010
Students, wearing parachutes, preflight an endless lineup of Stearmans. John Swope, John Swope Trust
During World War II, a complex in Arizona served as one of the world’s busiest centers for training military pilots. With four privately owned airfields in and around Phoenix, the Thunderbird facility, named for the Native American mythological spirit, ran roughly 20,000 pilots from some 30 Allied nations through primary training, an achievement made possible by a confluence of military necessity, business opportunity, and Hollywood star power.
Even as late as 1940, the United States military was woefully unprepared for the coming war. The Army Air Corps had only two training fields, both in San Antonio, Texas, and General Hap Arnold begged civilian operators to provide primary instruction for military aviators. His plea was music to the ears of Leland Hayward and John H. (Jack) Connelly. Hayward was an A-list Broadway and Hollywood agent who later produced movies and shows such as Mister Roberts, The Sound of Music, and The Spirit of St. Louis. Connelly was a former Army aviator and Civil Aeronautics Administration inspector.
In 1940, they bought a training operation at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix and hatched plans to build a bigger field in nearby Glendale. They enlisted John Swope, a commercial pilot and photographer who had once shared a bachelor pad with Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda and who would later collaborate with John Steinbeck on the book Bombs Away. To oversee the venture, Connelly, Hayward, and Swope founded Southwest Airways (no connection to Southwest Airlines).
Stewart and Fonda invested, along with Robert Taylor, Cary Grant, Hoagy Carmichael (who occasionally played the piano in the canteen), and Janet Gaynor. In 1942, director William Wellman (Wings, 1927) used the field to film the wartime drama Thunder Birds.
Ground was broken on January 2, 1941, and less than three months later Thunderbird Field opened with 14 flight instructors and 53 cadets—42 of whom would graduate—flying brand-new two-place Stearman biplanes leased from the Army. By 1942, Hayward and Connelly had opened a second Thunderbird field, managed by Swope, and Falcon Field, which was commissioned by Britain’s Royal Air Force. The Brits appreciated Arizona’s hospitable weather, which offered 673 consecutive flying days. Later, while piloting Spitfires over Western Europe, Royal Air Force Sergeant Philip Park wrote to his former instructor: “I’d give anything to be back in Phoenix and the sunshine.”
Thunderbird achieved international prominence—and made the cover of Life—as the only U.S. facility to train Chinese pilots. Numerous languages and accents were heard at the fields. But most cadets who went through the nine-week program were Americans, many of whom earned their wings only months after their first flight.
“The area was pretty desolate,” recalls Donald W. Marsey, Class 43-J graduate, who flew 35 missions in a B-17, Wisconsin Beauty. “But what I remember most is the exhilaration of learning that I could fly an airplane.”
Related topics: WWII
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Comments (13)
To: Mr.Preston Lerner. To see ,in print, your review on some of our WWII history, warmed my heart. Thank you for a very rememorable experience. It' still alive in my 87 year-old body. Keep digging. Best Regards, Don
Posted by DONALD MARSEY on January 29,2010 | 06:17 PM
I was a cadet at Thunderbird Field Glendale Az. class
44-J. Chinese cadets were also in training. I graduated from primary training June 1944. When I was in High school
I saw a movie titled "Thunderbird Field" when I was in highschool. After seeing the movie it inspired me to become an aviation cadet. I remember it starred Gene Tiereny and Pat O'Brien and I don't recall the other actors, in black and white and only American cadets were featured.
I purchased a movie via the internet called "Thunder Birds".
THis was not the movie I expected. This did star Gene
Tierney and she was bathing in the watertower; however, this movie featured English cadets and not American cadets.
Was this movie made at Thunderbird 2 (Falcon Field) where, I know, English cadets were trained. THis has puzzled me
and maybe you could clarify this for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed you article in Air & Space.
Posted by James Rosenberry on January 31,2010 | 05:58 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed the article Tinseltown's Training Base
"Oldies & Oddities" March issue. Its rare to see an article
on Thunderbird Field. My dad, Paul H. Lindstrom was a
civilian flight instructor at Thunderbird from 1943 until
closing.
Also, thank you for a great magazine. I have been a
subscriber since day one and really enjoy the fine
articles.
Ralph Lindstrom
Walsenburg, Colorado
Posted by Ralph Lindstrom on March 3,2010 | 02:47 PM
My dad was an instructor at Thunderbird Field from early 1942 thru the end of the war.
We the family have seen some 8MM film he took during that time frame of some of his students and a few he pointed out as not making it back. Quite interesting.
Nice to see an article about the field.
Posted by Paul Lindstrom on March 3,2010 | 03:13 PM
Anybody remember an instructor at Thunderbird Field from Omaha, Nebraska by the name of Frank Devry? Please send me an e-mail if you can recall him. I would love a picture of him if you happen to have one. Thank you. Ed
Posted by Ed Barrett on April 6,2010 | 07:56 PM
My father Conrad Wade was also a primary flight instructor at Thunderbird field. From 1942 through the end of the war, he taught Chinese American air corpsmen to fly. I have many pictures of him, my brothers, and mother with the students. Mom and dad used to say the students were like family. Some of the students stayed in touch with him after the war, even into the 1970s. I have his Thunderbird wings and uniform patches. He went on to fly as a corporate pilot for Reed's Candy Company. I remember feeling like I was the luckiest kid in the world growing up around airplanes and having an endless supply of Reed's Candy. David Wade
Posted by David Wade on May 28,2010 | 12:46 PM
My father was a Chinese Cadet trained in the Thunderbird Airforce Base in the 1940s. in year 2000, I accomplied my father and my Mom back to Phoenix for their last reunion - or, actually it was the first reunion he attended. The Thunderbird base has converted into an international business school. But the hangars, the tower were still there. There were many war-time pictures hanging outside of the auditorium. Most are pictures of the American instructors and Chinese cadets. My father found himself in one of the picture - what a surprise after 50+ years.
After the year 2000 trip, I have tried to collect information about any information about the arrangement between the US and Chinese government to setup the airforce training camp for the Chinese Cadets. Unfortunatelly, I had few luck in getting anything. In year 2007, I went to DC and visited the National Archieve. After talking to the people there (both in their DC as well as Maryland facilities), I realized that they don't have anything stored there. I would appreciate very much if any of the readers can advice me about where I can look into to find additional information about the special chapter of the world time history. I'd like to write a booklet or somthing for my father. Now He is 87 years old, still healthy and live in Milwaukee, WI with my sister. I am a college professor live in a suburb of Chicago. My email is: tojackyao@yahoo.com and phone number (630)-222-8855. Thank you!
Posted by Jack Yao on October 30,2010 | 09:04 PM
I'm looking for information on a civilian instructor at Falcon Field by the name of Rhoads or Rhodes, first name William. If anyone has information about him, please contact me at doncr at verizon net
Thank you for your interest.
Regards,
Don
Posted by Don Ecsedy on November 4,2010 | 01:37 PM
Your April 6 2010 posting asked about Frank DeVry. He was my uncle, His sister Lillian was my mother. Born Franklin Robin DeVry in St Paul NE in 1902, I believe he died in the Phoenix area in the 1970's.
He spoke often of teaching Chinese pilots to fly with neither of them speaking each other's language.
If you will email me of your interest, I will try to figure how to scan and return photos of Uncle Franklin.
Posted by Bill Rhodes on November 12,2010 | 07:02 PM
I was a cadet at Thunderbird 2 in late 1942. We had no Chinese training there at that time. I remember one day Jimmy Stewart came wandering in. He was a Ist LT. at that and a pilot: also a co-owner of T-bird 2. I went on to Basic at Marana AZ where we had the Chinese Cadets.
Posted by Myrl K. Bailey on June 11,2011 | 07:14 PM
My mother was an instructor at the Thunderbird fields during WWII - one of a small group of women I think. She taught primary flight in Link trainers and PT-19's. I was wondering if any of you remember a tall (6') dark haired 20 year old instructor named Carol Jane Tindell? I am trying to create a family history.
Posted by Mike Burz on September 9,2011 | 11:48 AM
Small world. My Dad was a flight instuctor at Marana during 1942-1944. He trained a lot of aviation cadets, including several classes of Chinese students. I have a list of one of the classes with about 30 Chinese student names listed. I also have a group photo of one class of Chinese students. We've also found letters written by some of the students to my Dad, after they had gone into advanced flight training, and also after they returned to India and China. Is anyone interested in sharing stories? I love the conversation...zany4god@msn.com
Posted by Mike Bennett on October 6,2011 | 02:55 PM
I was born in glendale in july of 1937 we lived at 138 n.6th ave in glendale and i recall some memorie's of thunderbird field and the stearman pt13 and pt 17 trainer's assinged to train the pilot's.my uncle's dairy farm was located just south of the canal on 59th ave one long block south of thunderbird road, the aircraft flew out of the airfield to the southwest as i recall and i as a very young boy watched as the blue and yellow stearman's rose in the air and i recall the thrill of seeing the pilot's in their cloth helmet's and goggle's as they flew over our heads.later in the war a stearman force landed in my uncle's field about 300 feet north west of the house flipping over on it's top wing the two pilot's hung in their harness for a minute or so before they released and landed on the ground,no one hurt as i recall,one pilot gave us his flight helmet and we played with it for several year's.
Posted by VERNON A.MCDANNALD on November 27,2011 | 12:27 PM